One feature of the new Apple smartwatch
is the knob on the side called the Digital Crown.
After seeing it demonstrated with a map, I would liken it to a mouse's simple but versatile scroll wheel as well as other digital knobs. I agree that due to their small size some type of scroll device is probably a logical user interface feature for any smartwatch. However, since watches
are normally round, my first thought was why use an angled wheel the surrounds
the face. After thinking about how the
BlackBerry Playbook enables touch beyond the screen, the realised that it did not
have to be a physical wheel but should be virtual touch circle.
With this the user would simply make the motions associated with rotating or
scrolling by swiping anywhere around the face. This would make zooming in or out on the watch similar to how a optical lens is zoomed or focused. Making it angled would also allow for other
interactions with the user, such as tapping or double tapping at specific
locations related to the screen. For
example, the numbers zero to nine could be represented by the clock locations for twelve o'clock to nine o'clock with ten and eleven used for special purposes, such as the pound and star keys. This seems like an easy to learn and elegant way to interact with a smartwatch.
Sadly, however, it seems that many smartwatches are designed with an
rectangular face rather then a round face. While I understand the
efficiently of why rectangles are used for smartphones, tablets and computer monitors, smartwatches are not used in the same way as smartphones, tablets or computers. It is unlikely someone would want to read a
novel on their smartwatch or write a document.
They might video conference or watch as video, but letter boxing or
simply removing the corners would be as acceptable as using a smartwatch for these
purposes in the first place.
If smartwatches require a scroll wheel to create an acceptable user experience, then it would seem prudent for companies to design smartwatches that implement the user interface design described above. Therefore, smartwatches should be round rather then rectangles.
